Voters Consider 41 Seats In March

Filing opens at noon Thursday in western Broward County for six mayoral seats and 35 City Council seats that will be up for grabs in 12 cities on March 11.

Shifts from at-large elections to district elections in North Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines and Coconut Creek guarantee changes among the council ranks.

Meanwhile, Lauderhill Mayor David Kaminsky and Tamarac Mayor Philip Kravitz face their first election challenges since figuratively bumping off popular incumbents two years ago.

Mayoral seats held by longtime incumbents David Keating of Hollywood, Alfonso Gereffi of Lauderdale Lakes and Becky Gerren of Parkland are slated to go before the voters.

March 11 elections have been scheduled in 19 of Broward County`s 28 cities. Sunrise has a special Jan. 14 council election to fill the post of convicted John Montgomery who was removed from office by Gov. Bob Graham.

Two, two-year City Council seats are open as the city shifts from at-large elections to districting. Incumbent Christine Coble seeks re-election, while there is a vacant seat created by districting. The residence of incumbent George Mallitz, now serving as mayor, is not in the new district; he cannot seek the seat.

COOPER CITY

Incumbent City Council members Ron Aranow, who holds Seat No. 1, and Tom Murphins, with Seat No. 3, are the only candidates so far in an at-large race for two, three-year council seats.

A vote will be held Feb. 11 if three or more people seek the same council seat. The other three positions on the council and the mayor`s post do not open up until 1987. All the council seats are elected at-large. Aranow, now vice mayor, was selected by the council after the last election.

CORAL SPRINGS

Coral Springs voters will elect two City Commissioners to four-year terms and a mayor to a two-year term on March 11. Mayor Ben Geiger and Commissioners Don Sanders and Ed Heafy have all announced plans to seek re-election.

No candidates have surfaced as opponents to Heafy or Geiger. Janet Oppenheimer, president of a local public relations firm, has announced she will run against Sanders, a commissioner since 1980.

DAVIE

Three of five Town Council members, including Mayor V.J. ``Bud`` Jenkins, are seeking re-election to three-year terms. No challengers have announced yet.

Other incumbents are Vice Mayor Joan Kovac from District 3 and Art Lazear from District 2. The remaining two council seats are up for election in 1988.

Jenkins represents District 1 and serves as mayor. Council members select the mayor and vice mayor from among themselves for one-year terms.

HOLLYWOOD

Eleven candidates are seeking two City Commission seats and the mayor`s post in the at-large election.

Running for the two-year term as mayor are incumbent David Keating, City Commissioner Stanley Goldman, civic activist Mara Giulianti and banking official Andy Molinari. The mayor is paid $10,500 annually.

In filing, commission candidates declare whether they are challenging Gunzburger or seeking the seat being vacated by Goldman.

LAUDERDALE LAKES

Alfonso Gereffi will seek re-election as mayor. Incumbents Jerome Cohan, Sol Rossman and Sam Goldstein will seek re-election to City Council seats. All terms are for two years, with every candidate running at-large. The top three vote-getters in the council race will win seats.

LAUDERHILL

Incumbent David Kaminsky faces a challenge from City Council President Buddy Clark for a two-year term as mayor. Council members seeking re-election to two-year terms are Ben Dantzker, John Mullin, Howard Berger and Ilene Lieberman.

With Clark vacating a council seat to run for mayor, a host of candidates are expected to file for council. So far, Herb Franklin, Matt Meadows, Danny Weiss, Howard Gaines and former Councilman Jack Brown have opened campaign accounts. The top five vote-getters in the at-large election will win council seats. All five council seats, and the mayor`s post, are up for election.

MARGATE

City Commission incumbents Leonard Weisinger, Ed Donahue and Ben Goldner face re-election in March. The top three vote-getters in the at-large election will win two-year terms. Goldner has served during the past year as a mayor- commissioner. Commissioners, after the election, will vote for a new mayor from their own ranks to serve for one year.